Gunpowder
by Ayzien
Summary: Kagome was murdered by the hands of Naraku and framed Inuyasha through Naraku's influences and his high position in society. Inuyasha managed to... Full summary inside Sesshoumaru x Inuyasha Warning: will contain yaoi, incest, and possible NCS
1. Prologue

**Title:** Gunpowder

**Author:** Ayzien

**Genre:** AU

**Pairing(s):** Sesshoumaru x Inuyasha

**Warnings:** Language, Yaoi, Incest, possible NCS

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I own none of those and make no profit whatsoever. All I own is this fanfiction and that is all.**

**Summary:** Kagome was murdered by the hands of Naraku and framed Inuyasha through Naraku's influences and his high position in society. Inuyasha managed to avoid capture and exact his revenge by killing Naraku. Now convicted of another murder and with a hefty price on his head no less, Inuyasha is living life on the run from cops and bounty hunters.

**A/N:** After years of urges of wanting to write something and suppressing them, they managed to slip out of my control. o.o;; Now I'm writing my very first Inuyasha fanfiction and my very first fanfiction ever no less! Highly unusual for a person like me! I'm more of a drawing storyboard kind of person and even lazier one at that. I really didn't think I would ever do this knowing all too well how crudey my writing is and I didn't want to taint anyone with my crappiness, but one day my usually docile muse reared back and bit me in my ass getting the better of me. Now I can no longer resist and will present you with this! I am not a very strong writer and I'n not the greatest English student either. In fact, I'm probably one of the worst so there will mostly likely be plenty of grammar and/or spelling mistakes. But I hope to better myself through hard work and practice! Therefore, wish me luck! Also, I openly welcome and encourage constructive criticism. They always help me better myself, but I will NOT tolerate flaming! If you don't like my choice of pairing or even the fact that it's yaoi, TOUGH! Keep that to yourself and do not read this! Otherwise, enjoy or scrutinize my work! :D

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**PROLOGUE**

Loud gunshots echoed through the large office bouncing off the walls before disappearing altogether. Heavy huffing can be heard coming from the center of the chaotic room. Two pale arms were extended meeting at hands wrapped around a peculiarly large silver handgun. Raging golden eyes slowly glowing red stared at the limp body across the room from him. A low growl drawled out from the back of his throat into the nearly empty room. From the top of his head, two snowy triangular appendages pulled back into the silver mane almost completely hiding them. Pale pink lips pulled back revealing white fangs as a snarl broke out.

"How dare you die so quickly," a gruff voice drawled out through his snarls. Fangs and claws begin to elongate gradually as large jagged strips of purple appeared; one on each side of his face right under his eyes. Arms lowered and drew back as fingers curled making lengthened claws point inwardly towards his palms. Eyes now fully glowing red with narrow strips of blue stared at the lifeless body as if willing it to just make the slightest of movements. Growls rumbled his clothed chest once again as he crouched down with the forgotten gun falling out of his hands, clanking loudly onto the ground, and echoing throughout the nearly empty room. Eyeing the fresh carcass, he immediately sprung forward landing on top of it's legs and heard bones clearly snapped. Staring down into lifeless crimsom eyes, his hand latched onto obsidian long hair pulling the pale by death face towards his own.

"How DARE you FUCKING die so quickly!" he barked out spraying the dead face's surface with spit. Upon hearing no response and staring into lifeless eyes that seem to be mocking him, he slammed the head back into its original position with enough force that shattered the glass of the window behind it. Extended claws swiped down into the chest of the corpse piercing the cold flesh deeply. In an uncontrolled rage, he repeated the action over and over; each time thrusting deeper and deeper pulling away scraps of flesh and muscles until the only things remaining at the chest were the blood soaked rib cage.

Finding himself unsatisfied, the half-demon slumped back down onto his knees and legs with clawed hands nestled beside his thighs on the cold marble floor covered in blood and chunks of flesh. The half-demon only sat there stilled and drenched in his enemy's blood for a short moment before his head reared back and howled out in agony and extreme anguish from his inner turmoil.

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**A/N:** Eheheh..... I tried... Short? I know. It is after all only the prologue. Lol. The actual chapter one will be added in a separate post soon (maybe o.o;;). Depends on how I feel at the moment.


	2. Running, Hiding, and Running Some More

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I own none of those and make no profit whatsoever. All I own is this fanfiction and that is all.**

**A/N: **I'm actually really excited about writing this! I just hope to be able to complete it. I have always had a tendency to never finishing long projects but I'm determine to change that! I suppose one can say that I'm writing this more to my benefit than others. (Laughs) Anyways, back to the fact that I'm excited. I've been literally going nuts! Ideas, scenes, and dialogue have been flooding my brain as of late. All I can think about is writing this fan fiction! It's driving me crazy that I can't even put my thoughts down fast enough before something else pops up! (_;;) Then there's the fact that my hand keeps itching to draw more! Especially fan art which is highly unusual... I usually create original artwork rather than mimic someone else's. Not saying that fan art is bad, it's just that I prefer to create something that is mine completely. Eheheh... o_o;; Well anyways, I uploaded some fan art and they will be listed in my profile. But while you are here, enjoy this update. (Bows down respectfully)

"..." - dialogue

'...' - thoughts

xXxXx - Scenery change/Time break

**Warning(s) in this chapter:** Erm... Violence and language are all I can think of... Oh wait! There's licking too. (Laughs)

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**Chapter One: Running, Hiding and Running Some More**

A red and silver blur raced down the deserted street that was situated between two rows of large buildings and darted into a shadowed alleyway hiding from the exposing sun. The blur finally came into focus revealing a male silver-haired half-dog demon in a long, crimson, sleeveless coat with small golden clutches, slits from the bottom up to the top of his thighs on both opposite ends, red pants and heavy black boots underneath. His back was positioned against the uncomfortable grey cement wall. Golden eyes flicked to their left finding a dead-end and rolled in their socket.

"Figures."

Soft, furry appendages located on top of his head twitched from side to side trying to pick up any and all sounds. A slender nose whiffed the air to pick up his pursuers' scents.

"Shit, they're still there!" he murmured sharply under his breath. He took another whiff of the air.

"-and they're humans," he groaned inaudibly. The half-demon reached under his heavy red coat through the long slit and drew out a particularly large silver handgun from the leather gun holster strapped to his right thigh. He raised the gun up with his right hand and positioned it beside his head, muzzle pointing to the sky. Positioning his right index finger onto the trigger guard, he clicked the safety off. Readying himself, he breathed in and slowly released it.

"Okay, I'll just disable them and make a run for it."

The half-demon flicked his soft ears toward heavy footsteps drawing closer. Pale eyelids slid down hiding the golden eyes as he listened intently.

'One. Two. Three.'

All of sudden a flash of red darted from the shadows of the alley into the front of two human bounty hunters surprising them. Gunshots rang out and the two men fell to their knees clutching their punctured thighs as the half-demon bolted for the opposite direction. In his mad dash, he instinctively leapt to his left skidding as a bullet grazed his right cheek. An amused voice drifted into his ears.

"So you are the infamous Inuyasha, I presumed." The half-demon tilted his head towards the figure a distance away, to which the voice belonged to.

"Who wants to know?" he growled out. The tan figure stared at him curiously. Then he rummaged through the pocket of his white cargo pants pulling out what looks like a folded sheet of paper. The half-demon stared wearily at the ebony-haired human sensing something off about the man and noticed the purple crest on the center of the tan forehead. He stared at the purple crest with a confused expression.

'Why would a human have something like a demon's marking?'

"Ah. Now let's see." The half-demon drew back from his thoughts to the man across from him with a now unfolded sheet of paper. Dark as coal eyes stared at the sheet as fingers thoughtlessly tapped against a simple assault rifle positioned across his shoulder with the muzzle facing diagonally off somewhere behind him. He started mumbling something and the half-demon inclined his ears to listen.

"Dog-like ear… silver hair… red coat…" Dark peeked up over the sheet of paper and glimpse at him.

"Ha! Perfect match!" Suddenly the ebony-haired man shifted the rifle towards Inuyasha and a spray of bullets sped towards him surprising him. Inuyasha impulsively launched to the right to avoid them but two shells managed to embed themselves into his left upper arm and into his left shoulder rendering his left arm temporarily useless.

'How'd the fuck did that happen?!'

"Your reflexes are indeed pretty good but I wouldn't think you would last very long now, would you." The man gazed at Inuyasha's wounded arm pointedly. The half-demon scowled.

"Keh. I don't need your concern. Who the fuck are you and what d'ya want, asshole?" Inuyasha growled ignoring the pain in his left shoulder and arm. He continued to watch the man in front of him closely trying to decipher the strange aura coming from the man's body. At the same time, he checked his surrounding through his peripheral vision but found no means of escape seeing that the street was blocked. He sure as hell can't turn around and run leaving his back exposed.

'It doesn't look like I can just run from this one,' the half-demon thought slightly peeved.

"Oh? Have you not heard of me? I am Bankotsu, the greatest mercenary around ('Gloating bastard.') and I'm here for your head or have you forgotten the ten million dollar for your life?" Bankotsu sneered at Inuyasha mockingly. The half demon snorted in response.

"Keh. Like I care, you can get in line with the rest of the fuck-tards." Watching carefully, Inuyasha slightly shifted the silver handgun that still remained in his right hand into a more comfortable position.

"Now why would I do that when you're right HERE!" Bankotsu swiftly aimed and pulled the trigger of his rifle showering another set of bullets toward Inuyasha. The half-demon being prepared this time immediately spun around and purposely shoved the muzzle of his silver handgun deep into the wound of his left shoulder pulling the trigger surprising the mercenary. Inuyasha gritted his teeth as the bullet forcibly tore through his shoulder and through his back scattering sickles of blood into the space behind him. The crimson sickles collided with any bullets aiming for his body redirecting them and continued slicing though the air to reach the tan figure beyond. Bankotsu quickly fell out of his stupor and brought up the weapon to guard against the onslaught. In doing so, he managed to set them slightly off course but he still received long gashed along his arm and sides as they pass by. Coal eyes narrowed as the half-demon turned around with a smug like on his face.

"What? You don't like the taste of my Blades of Blood?" Bankotsu scoffed.

"Yeah, right. I was rather surprise that you would mutilate yourself just to deliver such a measly attack. I would have done the favor for you if you wanted to so much as die slowly."

"Feh. Fat chance, jackass. No one's touching my life. I'll fucking deform your ass before you can even put another scratch on me."

"Hmph. We'll have to see about that." With that said, his rifle started glowing red. A shiver ran down Inuyasha's spine. He could feel a strong aura surging out in waves from the rifle.

'What the hell is that?'

"Now let's see if you can say the same thing against my Banryu!" but before the ebony-haired man could make a move, the wind suddenly whipped up wildly causing dust and debris to fly everywhere. Half-demon and human alike instinctively brought up their arms to shield their eyes.

With the wind roaring in Inuyasha's ear making him lose his senses, his body all of a sudden spiked with panic as an arm encircled around his waist and jerked him onto a speeding vehicle. Inuyasha started to thrash wildly trying to remove the arm before a familiar voice flowed into his soft ears.

"Would you hold still, mutt-face!" a growl broke out from his captor.

"Kouga?! What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"Saving your fucking ass, dog-shit! Now hold still and shut the fuck up!" Kouga all but snarled as they sped away on his motorcycle leaving the mercenary behind.

The wind finally died down around Bankotsu, and he lowered his arm only to find his target was missing. Annoyed, dark eyes glanced down finding tire tracks. He lifted an eyebrow.

"Was this here before?"

**xXxXx**

"OWWWWW FUCKING DAMMIT!!! Can't you be any gentler?!" Downy ears crushed themselves onto his scalp in pain.

"You should've thought of that before you blasted a fucking hole through your fucking body!" Kouga had already removed the shells (or rather shell since dog-shit-for-brains managed to blast the other one out with his brash attack), and now he was cleaning the wounds to discontinue the bleeding. The wolf-demon literally poured the whole bottle of hydrogen peroxide onto the festering wounds. The half-demon hissed at the smell and pain and bolted up from where he was sitting to get away, but Kouga just as quickly shoved him back down.

"Would you hold still!? I'm trying to help you here, unless you want your wound to reopen again, you ungrateful mongrel!"

"Well, no one asked for your fucking help!" Inuyasha tries to get up again only to find himself fall face first onto the ground when Kouga slapped his naked wounded shoulder.

"Dammit! Is this how you treat the wounded?!"

"Shut up, you dramatic pup!" Inuyasha growled at that comment and tried to get up but a foot on his bare back prevented from doing so.

"If you had just listened to me and stayed still, I wouldn't have to do this!" Inuyasha grumbled incoherently into the soft rug under him. Kouga sighed and shook his head slightly.

"For a person that would purposely mutilate himself, you sure cry a lot about being in pain."

"Shuddap! That fucking bastard already made my arm useless! I might as well use it to my advantage!" Inuyasha retaliated as he renewed his struggle. Kouga raised a brow at the half-demon's logic and pressed his foot down onto the half-demon causing his head to fall back down nearly eating the rug.

"Argh! Maybe I should've left you back there to die!"

"No one asked you to fucking save me! I had things under my control!"

"Control?! CONTROL?! Yeah, right! I know you have more common sense then that; even if you have shit for brains! You of all people should've been able to sense something wrong! Or have you really gone stupid?" Arguing with dog-breath was really starting to fray his nerves. Before Inuyasha could say anything though, Kouga pulled him off the ground and back onto the couch surprising him.

"Okay, even if you were able to beat the guy, how long do you think you'd last drenched in blood as you were? Even if your clothes have the ability to hide your natural scent, I wouldn't think it would be able to cover up the stench of your blood. I mean, geez, I detected the smell of your blood from miles away; that was how I found you in the first place." Inuyasha stayed silent. Kouga picked up the towel that he dropped and started wiping the blood that was spilling out of the reopened wound. He took a piece of cotton out from the bag of cotton balls on the marble table in front of the couch they were currently taking up. Facing Inuyasha's naked back, he pushed the half-demon's wild silver mane over his (Inuyasha's) right shoulder. He then put a bit of hydrogen peroxide on the cotton and starting dabbing the injury on the pale peach body. The half-demon winced pulling his ear back against his scalp once more and Kouga paused his movements before speaking up breaking the comfortable silence.

"I have a more… natural remedy… that wouldn't hurt as much." Snowy ears perked up as Kouga remained still.

"That is, if you want, I could do that instead of this." The mass of silver hair tilted down slightly in a nod not being able to see the glint in the wolf-demon's sky blue eyes. Suddenly something warm and wet was sliding over his flesh wounds. Inuyasha's body became rigid.

"What the hell are you doing exactly, you mangy wolf?"

"Licking you wounds like any dog would their own. What d'ya think?" Inuyasha could feel the smirk on Kouga's on his shoulder. His whole body flushed. Immediately, the wolf demon found a pale foot planted onto his handsome bronze face knocking him across the living room toppling over furniture.

"Keep you FUCKING MOUTH to YOURSELF, jackass!" Inuyasha fumed in embarrassment. The wolf-demon merely picked himself up carefully and chuckled at Inuyasha's flustered face. A blur of silver bolted for the door of the bachelor pad but Kouga beat him there blocking the way out. The half-demon ran for the window in the living room but Kouga grabbed onto long silver locks before he could launch out making him fall backwards in a thud. The wolf-demon immediately straddled the half-demon's slim waist and trapped his right arm against the cold wooden floor. Inuyasha kicked his leg wildly and tried to strangle the exposed throat of the bastard on top him. Of course with his left arm still being inapplicable, all he managed was to flail uselessly.

"Inuyasha, calm down already!"

"I'll calm the fuck down when you get the fuck OFF!"

"No, you'll try to leap out the window again."

"Hmmm. I wonder why, fucking pervert!" Inuyasha continued his struggling.

"Okay, okay. That was stupid of me. I forgot you were still a virgin-" Inuyasha growled and Kouga smirked.

"-but it worked, didn't it?" Inuyasha stilled.

"Huh?" Inuyasha voiced intelligently. Kouga rolled his eyes.

"Look. That fucking gaping hole in your shoulder closed and you're no longer bleeding like mad. If you were completely human, you would've been dead by now. Now let's dress your wounds before they open again."

"Fine! But if you try something again and you're gonna be eating lead, stinking wolf! Now get the fuck off!" Sky blue eyes rolled once more but he complied anyways. Kouga stood up and dusted himself off before helping the pale body on the ground up. He guided the mass of red, peach, and silver back to the couch with the half-demon grumbling the whole time. Inuyasha sat sideways onto the couch with Kouga following suit sitting behind him. They sat in a comfortable silent as Kouga got back to treating the injuries; this time rubbing ointment on them. Inuyasha leaned to the right; shoulders rested into the cushion of the couch as his left foot tapped idly on the rug covering the wooden floor.

"So why'd you save me anyways?" No reply came and the deafening silence continued. After a while, Inuyasha began to start wondering if he even said anything at all. That is, until Kouga spoke up.

"I don't know." Kouga's voice was calm and solemn much different from his usual energetic tone. An awkward silence fell around them. The wolf-demon sighed heavily startling Inuyasha a bit with the action that was so unlike himself.

"It has been nearly 20 years since she died now… Nearly 15 years since I last saw you and you're still moping around like this. I was hoping that the next time I see you that you would've moved on." Inuyasha scowled and parted his lips to retaliate but Kouga cut him off.

"Y'know, I loved her, too, right?" Not being able to say anything, Inuyasha closed his mouth. The wolf-demon's voice sounded too dejected. Kouga continued his ministrations and started bandaging the slowly (well, slow for a demon anyways) healing shoulder and arm. A clawed hand started fidgeting with the edge of his red pants' leg that was covering the right leg currently bent on the couch.

"I think it's about time you settled down and find a mate." Snowy ears perked up at the light humor in the solemn voice. Figuring that Kouga was trying to lighten the mood, Inuyasha hmphed.

"Right, and let her live her life in danger, constantly running and hiding." Kouga smiled at his friend's sarcastic tone.

"At least you won't be alone."

"Psh. Like that can get me out of my situation. Even if it did, I wouldn't want to." Kouga lifted a dark brow at Inuyasha's quiet tone. He tightened the knot on the bandages signaling that he was finished and maneuvered around Inuyasha to sit in front of him. The half-demon only stared down at his fidgeting hand, silver hair shielding his face.

"So you're saying you're living like this to punish yourself." Inuyasha scowled at that statement but said nothing. Kouga's brows knitted in bubbling anger.

"Why are you so fucking STUPID!" Inuyasha was startled at the sudden outburst and finally lifted his head finding furious, light blue eyes. The half-demon's silence seem to rile the bronze figure even more.

"You've got your fucking revenge whereas I got nothing! If you're gonna keep punishing yourself for something that wasn't even your fault, then why don't ya end your fucking miserable life already! In fact, I can do that for you! That ten million dollars award is after all very tempting!"

"Fuck off! You weren't there when she died! I was! ME! Not YOU! I was there and I couldn't do anything! Nothing at all! NOT ONE DAMN FUCKING THING!" At this point, there were both standing; huffing and glaring at each other furiously. Inuyasha was the first one to break eye contact as he slid back down onto the plush leather couch.

"Besides, if I died… I don't think I'll be going to the same place… as her…" Kouga had to strain his ears just to hear the half-demon's hushed voice. Upon hearing those words, Kouga's anger evaporated and in its place was guilt. He sighed again and ran long tan fingers through his ruddy brown hair before fixing it back into a neat ponytail. He kneeled down to pick up bloodied towels and cotton. He walked towards the kitchen to dispose of them in the trash bin.

Upon returning to the living room, he saw Inuyasha was still in the same dejected position on the couch. Not wanting to dwell on the subject that was deemed a taboo, he opted to change it rather than apologizing as he shuffled around the area straightening fallen furniture.

"So who were you fighting to cause you such harm?" Inuyasha fell out of his depressing thoughts when he noticed Kouga was trying to change the topic.

"Some bastard claiming he was the greatest," Inuyasha replied with his usual gruffness returning, eager with the subject change.

"Oh really? His name?"

"I forgot. Ban-something, not like I care to remember anyways. There was something weird about him, though. He clearly had the stench of a human but he had this strange marking on his forehead like some demons would have. Also, his weapon seemed ordinary but he is able to wield it to such an extreme that it's anything but." Kouga stilled his movements and turned his head to face Inuyasha seeing the half-demon's handsome face distort in confusion.

"Wait, what?"

"I said-"

"I know what you said. That was a rhetorical question." Inuyasha scowled again as Kouga crossed the room and slid down into the couch again. Golden eyes stared at the wolf-demon in confusion.

"So the rumors are true. Damn, this is such a mess," he said more to himself than to Inuyasha as dark brow knitted together in contemplation.

"What's true and what's a mess?" Kouga said nothing being lost in his own thoughts. Inuyasha felt agitated with curiosity.

"What's fucking true and what's a fucking mess?!" Kouga seem to have finally realized that Inuyasha was still there and pulled himself out of his muddled thoughts to glance at the half-demon.

"Well… there's been rumors going around about humans having… demonic powers…"

"Huh? How does that work? Do you mean like those… gifted humans with… spiritual powers…?" Inuyasha's mood plummeted again as he unintentionally reminded himself of a certain girl. Kouga, sensing his friend's distress, immediately replied to draw the half-demon away from his own melancholy thoughts.

"Not exactly. Unlike the gifted humans who are born with such powers, these guys were given the power, but what I'm trying to figure out is who or what is would be the source in supplying them with such." Inuyasha perked up in curiosity again.

"Given?"

"Uh huh." It was Inuyasha's turn to notch his light eyebrows together in contemplation.

"Can we do that, like just hand someone our powers?"

"I don't think it's as easy as simply handing someone else our powers like an object. There must be something else to it," but before Kouga can say anything else, a knock on the door of his temporary apartment silenced him. Inuyasha's body went rigid as he sniffed the air attentively.

"It's a human… Well I outstayed my visit anyways. It's already so dark outside," he said feeling himself calmed down after sorting through the scent of stale furniture and the metallic smell that blood gives off. Inuyasha stood up and strode quietly over to the mini bar counter to pick up the black leather gun holster with his faithful gun, Tetsusaiga, still snuggly inside. He then strapped it back onto his right leg.

"Where's my shirt and coat?"

"They're in the dryer. They seem to have fixed themselves- never mind that. Where are you gonna go?" Inuyasha stepped into the kitchen to reach the laundry room with Kouga following him. He opened the drying machine and pull out his clothes which felt warm to the touch notifying him that the dryer had just finished.

"Feh. I wish I knew the answer to that one." Finding himself healed enough to use his left arm but with some pain and hardship, the half demon pulled the black muscle shirt over his head and down his torso warming his chest before proceeding to put on the long, red, sleeveless coat.

"I'll just do the same as always. Running, hiding, and running some more." Kouga winced at how calmly his half-demon friend stated that. More knocking resounded through the apartment as Inuyasha finished connecting the clutches of his coat and buckled his black belt snuggly around his slim waist securing his coat.

"Hold on a sec!" Kouga called out at his visitor. Inuyasha walked back through the kitchen to the living room for the window he had attempted to escape through earlier with Kouga in tow. Long, pale peach fingers unlatched the locks on the window and slid the frame up. He placed one foot and hand on the window sill before turning his head back around to face Kouga.

"You better burn the trash. You don't want people to find out that a top-notch cop is helping a dangerous criminal." Kouga wince again at the solemnity of his friend's voice. Inuyasha turned his head back into its original position to look out the window staring at the dark sky that was littered in stars and a waning half moon watching over them.

"By the way…" Kouga perked up at the voice to listen to what the half-demon had to say.

"Thank for saving me today… and…" Kouga lifted a slender brow.

'And?'

"-and for back then… when I wasn't exactly… myself…" Upon realizing what the half-demon had meant, Kouga tried to stop him.

"Wait. That wasn't-" but Inuyasha had already disappeared through the window and vanished into the shadows of the night.

"-me… who saved you…" Kouga sighed as he closed the window to keep the cool draft of the night out. He immediately went to the marble table to clear off all the first-aid kit items and shoved them into one of the kitchen cabinets. He quickly made his way to the entrance of his temporary home muttering the whole way about "stupid half-breeds and their thick headedness."

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**A/N:** Oh crap! How did they become so OOC! (searches through notebook and then just toss it aside) Oh wells and uh yeah… This story is probably going to develop very slowly… I don't know if anyone has the patience for that. ^ ^;;

Anyways, thanks for reading! Fan art are posted on my profile for those who wants to see. I'm actually pretty satisfied with them but I still wish I had Photoshop so I could touch them up and add color. Oh well, I'll just have to deal with MS Paint for now. (Smacks head)

I think I'll do one of Kouga too for fun… one day…

Please review to keep my confident up and help me better myself! :D


	3. Something Familiar

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I own none of those and make no profit whatsoever. All I own is this fanfiction and that is all.**

**A/N:** This chapter was very vague in my head. I'm not entirely sure if I'm completely satisfied with it either. Hopefully the rest won't be like this. o.o;;

"..." - dialogue

'...' - thoughts

xXxXx - Scenery change/Time break

**Warning(s) in this chapter: **Nothing really. Just a few curse words here and there. This chapter is really tamed…

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**Chapter Two:** **Something Familiar**

The calming sound of flowing water drifted into downy ears soothing the stressed body considerably. A light sigh was emitted from a half-demon that was currently taking up space on a platform made of cement under a short bridge which arched over a stream on the outskirt of the city named Shikon. He was on the ground slumped against the hard brick wall hidden by shadows. The pain in his injured shoulder and arm dulled significantly since Kouga's treatment a few hours ago. A shadow of a smile ghosted his lips at the thought of his has-been rival of _love_. Inuyasha snorted. Golden eyes softened hinting at the bittersweet emotions bubbling under their surfaces as nostalgia swept through his whole body. Fifteen years since they last saw each and only to meet again to get his (Inuyasha's) butt saved ('When I didn't need saving'). Kouga didn't change one bit in looks but in mind, he did. He matured and became more observant. That was probably all because he joined the police those twenty years ago.

'Ever since she died…'

Inuyasha sighed heavily this time as he unbuckled the straps of his heavy boots and slid them off leaving bare feet unprotected against the cool air of the night. He rolled the ends of his red pants up to his knees revealing strong, pale, peach calves and scooted to the edge of the hard platform. He slipped his feet into the peaceful stream one foot at a time breaking the water surface. He winced slightly at how cold the water was but didn't pull out. He leaned over the edge with his arms fold in lap to stare at the surface of the water. The dark surface was littered with speckles of silver from the moon above. Inuyasha admired the sight for a short moment before his golden eyes clouded with thoughts again.

Ever since Kagome had died, he felt like his better half had died as well. Being a half-breed, he was looked down upon by both the demon and human society his whole life. He doesn't even know his own father who was killed the day of his birth leaving him with only his mother and an elder full-demon, half-brother who, in turn, abandoned them both shortly after his (Inuyasha's) birth. Things only got worse when his mother died from illness. Shortly after her death, his human relatives shunned and deserted the young pup to fend for himself. After about nearly two centuries alone, he had finally found someone that took him in and accepted him. Her big heart even attracted Kouga who was at the time running with the wrong pack. Her open-mindedness changed them both. He truly thought that perhaps the world wasn't so harsh only to be stripped of such notion when she was murdered two years later with all evidences somehow pointing back to him. Knowing the truth, Kouga immediately went into training to become a police advising Inuyasha to keep a low profile until he can bring the "son-of-a-bitch" into justice. Of course that didn't work out when he found out five years later that a human political head figure by the name of Naraku was the one who had killed Kagome just because she wouldn't let him have her. In his uncontrollable rage, he went and killed the guy and successfully transformed nearly attacking everything else in his sight.

Inuyasha frowned feeling disgusted with himself. Clawed hands clenched tightly onto his pale forearms drawing beads of blood as they remember the feel of chunks of flesh and blood dripping off them. The half-demon suddenly felt dirty and in need of a bath. Ears and nose intently scanned their surroundings to find any wandering soul. Upon sensing no one in the immediate area, he unstrapped the gun holster and quickly removed his sleeveless coat and black undershirt. He lifted legs up out of the water to remove his pants and underpants before tentatively stepping into the stream wincing slightly at the cold. Mindful of his bandages, he waded out from the shadows under the bridge and made sure to stay in the shallow part of the stream where the water only reached up to his slim waist. His pale skin practically glowed under the soft moonlight. He reached down into the water to wash away his own blood that was drying on his forearms and hands while at the same time trying to get rid of the feel of someone else's blood on them.

After five good minutes of rubbing his hand red, he splashed water onto his face and tilted his head back staring up at the clear night sky to clear his mind as drops of water traced down his chin, along his neck, along the contours of his chest and abs, and slipped back into the stream of water. Suddenly a curious thought crossed the half-demon's mind making his handsome face contort in confusion.

'How exactly did Kouga stopped my transformed self?'

In all his life, fifteen years ago was the first time he had transformed. He always knew he had the ability to change into a full-demon but never tried to knowing the danger of it. He remembered clearly how his mother had told him specifically when he was little not to give into bloodlust because it would make him lose himself; not only hurting the people around him but ultimately himself too. She never mentioned a way to stop it and revert back to normal so he assumed that there wasn't a way. How did he change back then? During the period of his complete transformation, all he could remember was rage and bloodlust but he felt like something big was missing.

The pale body shivered as a breeze swept through. The half-demon pulled away from his muddled thoughts and waded back towards the shadows underneath the bridge for his clothes. When he reached the platform's edges, the scent of another demon hit him and the hair on the back of his neck raised. Immediately he bolted out of the water, sprung for Tetsusaiga and cocked the gun ready to defend himself. He shivered again as another breeze swept through and brushed against is naked body. Trying to ignore the fact he was cold, his delicate ears flicked from side to side to pick up any telltale sounds that could possibly be the source of the scent. Not being able to detect anything, he quickly dressed himself; all the while never dropping his heightened sense of awareness.

"Shit. I shouldn't have let myself be so consume in my own thoughts. Why did I even let my guard down in the first place? It never happened before. Hmph. I blame Kouga for appearing out of nowhere today," Inuyasha muttered as he tightened the belt around his waist. With Tetsusaiga still in hand, he tried to follow the direction of the scent but it had already gone stale like whoever it was had already left. Inuyasha's brow knitted together once again in confusion. It seems like lately all he's been doing was getting stump by one thing after another. Why a demon would come here and just left without noticing him, or did he or she noticed but left anyways? What was worse was that the scent smelled familiar to him but he can't quite put a finger on why it does.

Inuyasha heavily sighed once again. All his stresses seem to have came back in full force weighing his body down. He really needed to find a way to rest and get some food into his system if he's ever to keep surviving.

**xXxXx**

The sun had already risen a few hours ago. Inuyasha sprinted up a rather large tree just outside of the suburban town adjacent to Shikon City which was also miles away from the stream. Even though whoever it was left him alone, he wasn't taking any chances and made sure to be nowhere near his earlier spot.

Finally finding a stable branch, he leaned against the trunk making sure to keep balance and dug through the pockets of his pants pulling out a solid black bandana and a thin, long strip of leather. Holding the bandana with his pale pink lips, the half-demon quickly pulled back all his hair (except the long hair at each side of his head that kept nonexistent ears hidden) and tied it into a high ponytail. Now with his had free hands, he took the black bandana from his lips and folded it in half to look like a large triangle. Holding the two ends at wear the fabric was folded, he place it across his forehead and knotted the ends under his long ponytail. He then pulled on the last corner of the bandana backwards to cover the top of his head making sure to hide snowy ears. He felt somewhat uncomfortable with the fact that his hearing was now slightly muffled but pushed the feeling to the far corners of his mind. He tilted his head down to glimpse at his clothes and frowned.

'I'll be too noticeable in these but if I take them off, my scent would no longer be hidden.' His stomach growled and his frown became more prominent as he lightly rubbed his flat stomach.

'Maybe I'll only take the coat off and hope to any divine entities willing to watch over me that no demons comes close enough to recognize my scent. Better yet, hopefully over the years they've forgotten my scent.'

Inuyasha sighed (a little too often these days) and unbuckle the black belt around his waist before proceeding to strip off the heavy coat. Now only wearing a black muscle shirt and red pants with his left arm and shoulder still covered in bandages, he rolled up the coat into a compact bundle and bound the belt around tightly around it to keep to the bundle from falling open. He made sure he left a significant length of the belt from being tied down so he could use the extra length as a rope to carry the red bundle around.

Making sure that his luggage wouldn't fall out of the tree by gripping the strap with his teeth, he tighten the knot on the bandana as so it would not loosen at any given time and moved out across the branch keeping balance easily. Inuyasha slung the package over his shoulder, kept his grip on the belt, and leapt out of the tree onto the soft ground several meters below. He headed towards the entrance of the town in swift strides with his long silver ponytail swinging slightly from side to side.

Upon entering the little town, Inuyasha relished in the homey feel the place was giving off. Unlike the cold and harsh city with tall edifices always hiding the sun, this place was rather nice and warm with cozy small buildings that seemed welcoming even though he knew better than to expect such.

"The place even smelled nice," Inuyasha murmured as different aromas drifted into his nose from the marketplace in the center of the town. He wandered down the dirt path towards those enticing aromas and heard nonsensical chattering becoming louder and louder as he approaches. As he came closer to the sources of the aromas, he noticed food stands with decorations ('What's the occasion?') that were set up outside crowding with hundreds of people. He sniffed the air for any predators that usually has the stench of gunpowder or lead coming from the weapons they were suppose to hunt him with. So far finding no such things, his hand unconsciously rummaged through his pockets but he stopped the action immediately when he realized his actions. Knowing all too well that he can try to dig through his pockets all he wants but no money will ever appear. He almost pouted like a child that was denied his treats and sighed again.

"I'm an idiot. Why did I even come here when I know I don't have money." Inuyasha's posture slumped and his head lowered letting golden eyes wonder onto the ground but instead of seeing the dirt under his feet, his eyes met with large, round, brown eyes staring up at him. Startled, Inuyasha stumbled backwards.

"H-hey, brat! Didn't anyone ever told you you're not supposed to sneak up on people like that?!" The little raven-haired girl just kept staring at him with big bewildered eyes. Never being very good with children, Inuyasha became uncomfortable under her unblinking innocent gaze.

"Er… Are you okay, kid? Is there something on me?" The little girl who looked about nine years old shook her furiously and then smiled at him; her eyes practically glittering.

"May I ask you a question, mister?" the little human girl finally spoke up. Inuyasha raised a brow in a quizzical manner.

'Why would she want to ask me something?'

"Uh, sure. Shoot," the half-demon replied before realizing it and clawed hand shot up a little too late to cover his mouth. The little brunette beamed up at him and Inuyasha almost wanted to cringe at the brightness of her smile.

"Are you a prince, sir?" Inuyasha stumbled backwards dumbfounded.

"W-what?"

"Are you-"

"Yeah, I heard and no, I'm not a prince! Do I look like a prince to you?!" The little girl merely blinked blankly at his outburst. Then her soft brows knitted together as if she was in slight frustration and fidgeted with the hems her yellow dress.

"That's weird. I was told that demons with pretty silver hair like yours were royalty." The little brunette stared up at him once again with wide innocent eyes. Inuyasha's brow twitched.

"Who the hell told you that bullshit, kid?" The little girl perked up at the question.

"Oh! Lord Sesshoumaru did!" She seemed to brighten up even more (if that's even possible) at the aforementioned name. Inuyasha gave her a weird looked and she just giggled.

'Sesshoumaru…? That name sounds familiar…'

Inuyasha stomach suddenly growled and he frowned. The little girl giggled behind her hands before running up to him and latching onto the half-demon's clawed hand pulling him forward; which was quite uncomfortable because of the height difference making him bend down a little.

"H-hey! What are you doing?! Haven't you heard about not talking to strangers anyways? I might not be a good person, y'know." Inuyasha said in exasperation but allowed her to lead him through the crowds of people anyways lugging his own luggage over his unwounded shoulder. The young human girl paused in steps and turned around to look up into his face.

"You don't look like a bad person to me." The little girl smiled earnestly. What he heard from the child surprised him and he blushed.

'Argh! Why the hell am I blushing at a little kid for!?' he practically screamed in his head but Inuyasha felt defeated and allowed himself to be escorted as the little girl picked up her steps smiling widely all the while.

As Inuyasha followed the human child, still in an uncomfortable bent position due to the small girl still holding onto his hand, his nose picked up scents that were coming from the kid in front of him. He wrinkled his nose in confusion. Besides her own natural smell, there was an underlying scent that was similar to the one he had encounter last night. It was too hard to be able to tell though since it was so faint, and with her own scent overwhelming it, made it even more difficult to decipher.

They stopped abruptly pulling Inuyasha out of his contemplations and almost toppling over the tiny girl but he managed to catch his balance just in time. Straightening up, the half-demon was about to chastise the little girl but was cut off by her questioning.

"What would you like to eat, mister?" Surprised, Inuyasha hand slipped letting his bundle fall onto the ground with a thud. Finding himself dumbfounded again, he just blinked. He finally noticed the outdoor stand that was selling assortments of food in front of them. He glanced down at the child still holding onto his large hand into her tiny ones. She smiled up at him waiting patiently for his answer. He bent down to pick up the dropped package before replying.

"Um… I don't have money, kid." If his ears weren't already hidden by the black bandana, they probably would have in embarrassment into his silver mane that was still currently in a ponytail. The little human shook her head.

"That's okay! I'll pay!" She grinned again. Inuyasha almost blushed again.

"No! That's too weird! I'm not letting a stupid little brat whom I don't even know pay for me!" Inuyasha crossed his arm over his chest. It would've been two arms if she wasn't still holding onto his other hand. The human girl pouted. ('Oh. She does have other facial expressions.')

"You don't have to worry about taking money away from me. Lord Sesshoumaru always give me plenty for these festivals!" she urged with sincere honesty.

"No way! A grown man like me shouldn't be taking money from little kids no matter how much they have!" Inuyasha refused again stubbornly.

"Pul-leeeeeeeeze? Imagine it as a gift! I don't want to eat alone…" The raven-hair child lowered her eyes to the ground and Inuyasha stomach filled with guilt.

"Uh…" Inuyasha intelligently uttered.

"Um… pardon me." The half-demon peeled his eyes away from the dejected human girl in front of him and looked in the direction where the voice come from.

"You should just give into her. I won't tell anyone that you took money from a child," giggled a young woman who was probably the tender of the stand. Inuyasha this time did blush and then he scowled. The half-demon huffed out in annoyance.

"Fine." Immediately, the small human child grinned up at him with the earlier dejection nowhere on her face. Inuyasha pale brow twitched in annoyance.

'Great. I have just been played by this brat.'

"Yay! Please pick what you want, mister!" Inuyasha sighed in defeat and stepped forward to get a better look at what the outdoor stand had to offer. The lively child followed still clasping onto the half-demon's hand. Golden eyes skimmed through the assortments of snacks before finally choosing something.

"Er- I'll take a couple of those grilled squid-on-a-stick."

"No! We should get more so we can share! Also a bag of dumplings too!" the little girl chirped enthusiastically. Pale brows rose in surprise.

"Wait. Why are you getting so many?"

"Like I said! So we can share! You look hungry anyways." Inuyasha face heated up as his stomach grumble to agree with the child.

"Fine. Do whatever you want." Inuyasha averted his eyes away from the human child in embarrassment barely noticing that the tiny hand had let go of his own hand.

'Argh! What am I fucking being so embarrassed for! How did I even get stuck with her?' The half-demon felt the urge to slam is head against a brick wall but suppressed it.

"Here you go and thank you!" Inuyasha return his vision back to the human child and noticed that she had finished paying; stuffing a little silk pouch into the pocket of her dress before receiving a rather large paper bag and six grilled squids. Seeing that the little girl was struggling trying to juggle both the large bag of dumplings and sticks of grilled squids in her tiny hands, he grabbed the bag from her before she dropped it. The girl smiled up at him in thanks and Inuyasha scoffed.

"Where would you like to go sit and eat, mister?"

"Anywhere's fine," the half-demon replied no longer trying to resist.

"Okay! Let's go to those pretty flowers!" Inuyasha glanced down the dirt path and saw a big field of wild daisies bordering the small town. He nodded and the little girl bounded towards the yellow field. His golden eyes softened as the cheerful girl skipped down the path reminding him a bit of Kagome.

Finally reaching their intended location, they settled down under a large tree that shaded them from the harsh rays of the sun. Inuyasha settled the bag onto the ground and unbundled his red sleeveless coat hoping the girl most likely wouldn't recognize it. Lucky for him, no one had found out who he was. He silently thanked the divine entities he had asked for protection earlier. Sliding the coat on and buckling the belt back into place, he relished in the sense of safety knowing his natural scent was completely hidden by the heavy coat that had some magical properties. He then noticed the human child gave no sign of recognition and breathed out in relief; though he didn't know what he was relieved for. It probably would've been better if she was scared of him and ran away then staying with him knowing all the trouble that could appear any moment now even with his scent hidden.

Nestled up against the rough trunk, he placed the large, brown paper sack between them. Smiling giddily, the human girl handed him the grilled squids; keeping only one for herself. They ate in a comfortable silence. Every now and a refreshing breeze would brush against them.

"Rin." Inuyasha brow rose in confusion. He had already finished off the grilled squids and was in the process of devouring delicious dumplings. He faced the little girl that had broken the silence.

"Huh?" The girl smiled again.

"My name. It's Rin. You had said that you couldn't let someone you don't know pay for you. Well, now you know my name and you can accept my gifts." Inuyasha snorted at her logic.

"Yeah sure. Whatever," Inuyasha said in semi-sarcastic tone.

"What's your name?" Rin asked. Inuyasha hand froze midway from stuffing his mouth with another dumpling. He lowered his arm and contemplated if he should answer her.

"Um… I don't think you would want to know my name," Inuyasha solemnly replied. Puzzle, Rin's soft face scrunched up.

"Why is that?" Her wide brown eyes stared up at him in curiosity. Inuyasha frowned at her persistence.

"Because it just is." The half-demon's frown deepen averting his eyes from Rin's. Rin noticed the unhappy air around her new friend and stood up abruptly. She then run into the middle of the field and picked a bundle of yellow daisies before returning to a very confused half-demon. Rin grasped the hand that wasn't occupied with the white dumpling and shoved the wild flowers into warm clawed hands.

"I'm sorry! I won't ask you for your name again. Please don't be mad." The human girl's word startled him a little.

"Uh. That's… okay. I'm not mad," Inuyasha said awkwardly. Rin peered up at him with hopeful eyes.

"R-really?" Inuyasha smiled awkwardly at her earnestness.

"Yeah," he replied before taking a bite out of the round dumpling he was still holding. Rin grinned again but then soften into what looks like a nervous smile.

"Um… can I call you Prince?" Inuyasha sputtered.

"W-what? I already told you I'm no royalty!" Suddenly, Inuyasha was the one to stood up abruptly this time. The same demon scent from last night drifted into his nose. The hair on the back of his neck stood up on ends as a powerful demonic aura sped towards them.

"Is there something the matter, Prince?" The half-demon would've rolled his eyes if it weren't for the rapidly approaching doom. He glanced down at the girl and nodded.

"Yeah, I have to go right _now_." Rin was about to protest but he cut her off.

"I'll _really_ need to go or you can be endangered too!" Inuyasha exclaimed and twisted around to break into a run but before he could do anything though, his body went rigid at the tall figure in front of him. The half-demon cursed and glanced up.

Golden eyes met with equally golden eyes.

* * *

A/N: Very slow pace? Yeah… o-o;; Eh… not so happy with this chapter. It's a lot shorter than what I had planned but it's still an important chapter no less. :X Anywho, I did a picture for Kouga! :D I wanted to put him in a sexy uniform but then I got lazy…… ._. The link to it will be in my profile.

Hmm… who should I do next? Maybe Rin? Anyhow, drop a review if possible. I would love to know what you guys think.


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